MORE NOTES FROM JERRY CANTRELL’S ESPN.COM LIVE CHAT

We’ve been doing it for a long time and everybody starts emulating their heros. I’m no different than anybody else. Eventually you find your own voice and we did that as the band. It’s trial and error, the influences that you grew up on. And I had a lot of classes in school that was music based. I think that had an influence too.

On if Alice In Chains will tour Latin America next year

We were very very close to coming this year and the only thing that kept us from coming was that we couldn’t make it work financially. It’s a real big effort for us to bring the people we need to make our show. We want to get back there, but it quite didn’t make sense for us to get back down there. Being in a band, we’re investing in ourselves all the time. Luckily the fans have been there for us, when we’ve gone to Australia and things.

On how much he practiced guitar when in school

Until I passed out, basically. I would spend hours and hours in my room by myself. When I first started playing, my mother and grandmother, who raised me, were very musical. They liked that I was into music. I locked myself in my room with a radio and guitar and after a while they started to get worried about me. They just figured I that I found something I liked and they supported me. I had a guitar with only two strings on it and she took me to the store to get some pegs.

On his role in writing vocal lines and lyrics

We’ve always credited our writings, so it’s all there in the records. Being in a band is a really interesting thing. There are talented individuals and how they work together as a team can change. I’ve been lucky enough to have been one of the main song writers in the band for many years. I take pride in that. It’s a team.

On if he will make another solo album

Not for a while. My first and foremost love has been this band and always has been. THe only reason I did those two records is because we weren’t working as a band. But being a part of this band is a full time job. Some guys can do multiple things and maybe when I was younger I could do that, but not now.

Bio: Brett hosted the BWR podcast from 2004 to 2009, and then opened GrungeReport.net in May 2009. The site changed its name to AlternativeNation.net in June 2013. Brett also owns Concertfy.com. Reach out to Brett at; brett (at) alternativenation.net